Playing With Fire
by ExpensivePencil
Summary: "'One day you'll learn when you get burned' is what people used to tell him. Only, he's already been burned." - Surely Leo isn't always so happy. Surely it's just a mask.


**We all know Leo for being always happy but even he has a dark side, surely. Song-fic based on "Playing With Fire" by Plan B.**

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**Playing with fire**

'One day you'll learn when you get burned' is what people used to tell him. Only, he's already been burned. Not literally of course but this type of burn hurt more than any flame could have done. Now it's too late and doesn't he just know it, doesn't he just remember every day? When the fire spreads and burns he's always safe but he wishes he isn't, he wishes he wasn't. Why couldn't he have been like Percy? He can save people from drowning when he's with them, why couldn't he save her from drowning in his flames? The gods are cruel with the gifts they give, sure it has saved his life on multiple occasions, and sure it has been his most useful tool but he would lose it in an instant for his mother.

He's just a kid. They call him the little elf. Today he came into their foster home, his sixth so far. All he wanted was a friend so he was open to manipulation and when some older boys saw the situation they took the piss. He was so sweet, innocent, and naïve. They didn't realise what trouble his little nimble fingers can cause and the horror that scarred their face when his fire began to spread will stain his memories forever. That was the last straw, he was sent to a school for the wild, like him. At least here he met some real friends.

Now look at this; he hates his only friend, the only one who weren't pretend. Why? Is it because Jason gets more attention than him, because everyone looks up to Jason? Or is it because of her, the beauty on his arm? Why did Jason have her when Leo had known her longer, been with her longer. He wants her more than Jason. He loves her more than Jason. For all he knows Jason may have someone lost in his memory, which is more than likely. But he can't do anything because only a snake behaves like that.

He's been playing with fire, it still doesn't burn. All his friends think it's cool but they don't know. They don't know because the first time your hand will just pass through the flame, walk through the pain. They don't stay long enough to see the fire spread, to see the fire burn.

He's still just a kid, but he feels like a man today. He joined the team today, the seven, and he built the ship. Maybe he isn't a leader like Jason, as persuasive as Piper, as smart as Annabeth, as brave as Percy, as strong as Frank, or as fast as Hazel but he is the captain of this ship, he is the wild card, and he is the reason for the enemy to be scared. For once he felt loved, a part of the team, a part of a family.

It doesn't last long though, everyone's pairing up. He already knew about Jason and Piper, and Percy and Annabeth, but now also Frank and Hazel. He shouldn't feel the way he does but he can't help it, everyone he likes doesn't like him back, or has someone else. He can feel himself slipping away from the group again, maybe Gaea was right, and maybe he isn't part of this family after all.

He's always the first to tell people to stop running on his boat, the deck can get wet and it's all too easy to slip. He doesn't want anyone getting hurt or rather; he doesn't want anyone to harm his ship. But today's moving quick, so quick that he's the one that's slipped. He's been at Hazel's, around the way, doing deceitful shit but he's just a kid and he just wants to be loved. It seems he's back to being a snake but at least a snake is honest about his intentions, how could he do this a 'friend'? He could have ruined what little peace was left on-board the ship between the Greeks and Romans but I guess now he's just another poster boy for Octavian's broken union.

They say with age comes wisdom but he doesn't have age on his side or any positive role models in his life to provide insight. He can't help his mistakes because he's still just a kid that likes to play with fire, only now it's gotten too extreme. He's making enemies with his friends and it's not just them that are going to get burned, he's going to see how painful it is again. He was told that one day he'd learn, after he got burned but he just can't stop making fires.

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**Hope you enjoyed. Make what you want of the Hazel and Leo thing.**


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